Currently, aircraft ordnance is armed by extracting arming wires from various ordnance devices as the ordnance separates from the aircraft ejection rack. Until removed, the arming wire acts as a safety pin physically preventing the arming activation mechanism from functioning. The activation devices controlled by the arming wires may be fuzes, high drag fin assemblies or any other pin restrained devices. Requiring separation ensures that the ordnance remains unarmed until it is free of the aircraft.
In a conventional ordnance ejection rack, arming wire installation and connections control how weapons are armed. The arming wires may be connected by one of two techniques, either to positive arming latches or to arming solenoids. Positive arming latches are fixed latches which extract the arming wires whenever the ordnance is released and separates from the aircraft. The arming solenoids, on the other hand, provide the pilot control over the retention or release of the respective arming wires. If the pilot selects an arming solenoid by applying power to it, the arming solenoid will retain the arming wire causing it to be extracted from the ordnance device arming activation mechanism as the ordnance separates from the aircraft. If the pilot does not select an arming solenoid, the ordnance will be released with that arming solenoid's arming wire intact; that is, the ordnance device in which the released arming wire is installed remains unarmed.
There are numerous deficiencies associated with arming wire ordnance activation which can reduce weapon effectiveness, decrease safety and damage aircraft. These deficiencies include:
1. complicated installation procedures which are labor intensive and prone to error; PA1 2. unreliable operation of pilot selected arming solenoids; PA1 3. improper arming caused by defective arming wires which may break before being extracted from the ordnance device; PA1 4. damage to composite material or paint removal from the aircraft caused by the airstream whipping broken arming wires against the aircraft skin; and PA1 5. damage to the aircraft caused by Fahnestock or safety clips which become airborne debris once the arming wire is extracted from the ordnance device activation mechanism.